The "Banderol": the cheap "missile spam" Russia is using to terrorise Odesa
Russian forces are increasingly using a missile type known as "Banderol" against Odesa, launching 11 of them at the city on 9 August alongside several Kh-59 cruise missiles.
The name "Banderol" has been appearing with growing frequency in Ukrainian social media communities that monitor the weapons Russia deploys against Ukraine. Over recent months this missile type has become one of the recurring threats faced by the southern port city of Odesa.
On 9 August, Russian forces launched 11 Banderol missiles at Odesa, alongside several Kh-59 cruise missiles. Ukraine's Air Force managed to shoot down most of the incoming weapons, though some got through and reached their targets.
A cheap but persistent threat
According to the source headline, a single Banderol missile costs around US$100,000, and the tactic has been described as "missile spam" — a relatively inexpensive weapon that Russia fires in bulk to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences and maintain a constant sense of threat among Odesa's residents.
Combining cheaper weapons like the Banderol with more expensive ones such as the Kh-59 cruise missile allows Russia to stretch Ukraine's air-defence resources and forces Ukrainian forces to track multiple types of targets simultaneously. Odesa, a major Black Sea port city, has in recent months become one of the more frequently targeted Ukrainian cities.
The source report does not specify the extent of damage or casualties resulting from the 9 August attack.
